Quality of life comparison

compared to

If you lived in Vanuatu instead of Cook Islands, you would:

Health

be 54.9% less likely to be obese

In Cook Islands, 55.9% of adults are obese as of 2016. In Vanuatu, that number is 25.2% of people as of 2016.

live 2.0 years less

In Cook Islands, the average life expectancy is 77 years (74 years for men, 80 years for women) as of 2022. In Vanuatu, that number is 75 years (73 years for men, 77 years for women) as of 2022.

Economy

be 61.1% less likely to be unemployed

In Cook Islands, 13.1% of adults are unemployed as of 2005. In Vanuatu, that number is 5.1% as of 2023.

make 80.8% less money

Cook Islands has a GDP per capita of $15,600 as of 2022, while in Vanuatu, the GDP per capita is $3,000 as of 2023.

Life

have 71.9% more children

In Cook Islands, there are approximately 12.1 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Vanuatu, there are 20.8 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

Expenditures

spend 50.0% less on education

Cook Islands spends 4.6% of its total GDP on education as of 2021. Vanuatu spends 2.3% of total GDP on education as of 2020.

spend 25.0% more on healthcare

Cook Islands spends 3.2% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2020. In Vanuatu, that number is 4.0% of GDP as of 2020.

Geography

see 21.1 times more coastline

Cook Islands has a total of 120 km of coastline. In Vanuatu, that number is 2,528 km.

The statistics above were calculated using the following data sources: The World Factbook.

Vanuatu: At a glance

Vanuatu is a sovereign country in Australia-Oceania, with a total land area of approximately 12,189 sq km. Multiple waves of colonizers, each speaking a distinct language, migrated to the New Hebrides in the millennia preceding European exploration in the 18th century. This settlement pattern accounts for the complex linguistic diversity found on the archipelago to this day. The British and French, who settled the New Hebrides in the 19th century, agreed in 1906 to an Anglo-French Condominium, which administered the islands until independence in 1980, when the new name of Vanuatu was adopted.
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How big is Vanuatu compared to Cook Islands? See an in-depth size comparison.

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